19th Nov 2012 | Football
Galatasaray v Man Utd Tip
The fixture list appears to have fallen perfectly for the Turks with United qualified and under-strength.
A trip to Turkey looks daunting at the best of times but Sir Alex Ferguson’s understandable decision to travel without a host of big names makes it tougher still. With Rooney, Van Persie, Ferdinand, Giggs, Scholes, Evra and De Gea all absent, it’s no wonder Galatasaray are nothing longer than evens (Ladbrokes) to win on Tuesday.
Man Utd are of course already qualified for the knockout stages so this is an opportunity for Fergie to give some youngsters a first taste of a big European night. And that is what it is for Galatasaray who are desperate to strengthen their grip on second spot in Group H.
The Super Lig team have stormed back into contention largely because of one man - Burak Yilmaz. The striker scored a hat-trick in the 3-1 victory over Cluj a fortnight ago and struck a late equaliser against the same opponents before that. Burak even scored as recently as Sunday when Galatasaray went through the motions at home to Karabukspor in the league.
That was a 3-1 defeat for the hosts who are clearly saving themselves for the visit of a European heavyweight. But without their usual star performers, the Red Devils are unlikely to be anything like the same force. Burak is the man most likely to take full advantage and must be a bargain at best odds of 6/1 (Bet365) in the first goalscorer market.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 23:56 19th Nov, 2012 but subject to change
